Timestamps
by lcdrsuperseal
Summary: Unrelated one-shots following 'Dandelions Lost in the Summer Sky'. A/N: At no point will Steve and Danny be engaging in an adult relationship. Steve has suffered an irreversible brain injury that has rendered him at the capacity of a child, and therefore can't fully consent to a sexual relationship.
1. Date Night

"Danno?" Steve asked from under Danny's arm. The blonde put the storybook they had finished reading aside and turned his head to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"Nice shirt." Steve brushed his fingers against the crisp button down shirt that Danny was wearing. It was the first time that he'd worn anything other than casual clothes since bringing Steve home nine months ago.

"Thanks, babe. I'm, uh… going out with someone tonight."

"Friend?" Steve asked, a picture of innocence - eyes wide and his other hand holding his stuffed cat toy, which Grace gave him when he was in hospital. Danny reluctantly looked away for a minute as he psyched himself up for what he was about to say.

"No, Steve… I'm going out on a date."

Steve seemed absolutely _crushed_ , and looked at him with watery eyes _._ "Danno not love Steve anymore?" he asked. Danny felt the breath catch in his chest at the sight in front of him.

"What? Oh, babe… of course Danno loves you." Danny held him closer to his chest and peppered his face with kisses.

"So Danno stays with Steve tonight?" The brunette mumbled into his neck hopefully. Danny bit his lip, thankful that Steve couldn't see his face as he cringed.

"Well, no, babe… I still have a date tonight." Danny felt his heart sink as Steve pulled away enough to look at him, one hand twisted in Danny's shirt and the other clutching his trusty cat. _I knew this was a bad idea…_

"But… Danno look after Steve." He said quietly. Danny sighed and ran his fingers through Steve's hair, thinking to himself that he'd need a haircut soon. Odell would be pleased to see him again.

"I'll always look after you, buddy. Always. You, Gracie and Charlie will always be the most important people in my life." Danny licked his lips nervously. "But... can't Danno see other people?"

Steve briefly looked up at him with wide eyes, before dropping his gaze back to where his hand still gripped Danny's shirt. "Yeah… I just…" Steve's face started to screw up in frustration so Danny started to gently massage the back of his neck to calm him down. "Sad."

Danny's face fell instantly, and he wrapped his arms around Steve as he crawled onto the smaller mans lap. "Oh, Steve… You need to know I'm not doing it to make you sad." Steve nodded into his neck. "It's just… I want to try this. See if anything happens with him."

"Okay… What if bad man?" Steve whispered.

"What if he's no good? Then I don't see him anymore, babe. Simple." Danny replied. "Same goes for anyone else."

"What if no like Steve?" Danny ran a hand down his side.

"Anyone who's mean to you definitely goes. Straight away." A smile spread across Steve's face and he nodded. Danny returned his smile as he held the other man close to him.

"Thank you, Danno." Steve sighed. "You sh-should be happy." Danny closed his eyes and rested his head atop Steve's, and the two of them sat together quietly for a little while. Danny wondered what must be going on in Steve's head right now, how confusing it must be for him. To hear the man you love tell you that he's going on a date with someone else, because you can't be in that kind of relationship anymore? Danny couldn't begin to imagine. But he was relieved that Steve didn't hate him for it.

"Okay, buddy. I'm gonna finish getting ready and you should be asleep, it's almost 8 o'clock now. Kono is coming over to stay here in case you need anything, alright? And Gracie is back from her sleepover with her friend tomorrow. I probably won't be back before 12." Danny said as he eased Steve off of his lap and under his bed covers before shuffling to the edge of the bed and standing up.

"Yeah, Danno." Steve mumbled into his cat, holding it close to him. Danny knelt by the head of the bed and kissed his forehead, breathing a small sigh of relief when Steve smiled slightly.

"Danno loves you, okay?" He whispered. "I'll pop in and see you when I come back."

"Steve loves Danno." Steve replied, staring after Danny as he left his bedroom.

* * *

"Danny? You there?"

"Huh?"

"You zoned out again, man."

"I'm sorry, I was miles away." Danny sighed, and took another sip of his Longboard. He'd only been at the bar for a couple of hours but he'd probably spent a good chunk of it thinking about Steve, wondering if he was okay. Joe was a good enough guy – Chin knew him from when he used to work as a security guard before Five-0 was formed, and set him and Danny up as they had a few similar interests. He was slightly taller than Danny, tanned with black hair. And Danny really wanted to have a nice, relaxing evening with a new person. "What were you saying?"

"That's alright. I asked what job you have?" Joe asked.

"Well I used to be in the Five 0 task force, before that I worked in HPD when I moved here from New Jersey." Danny hoped that he'd leave it there and talk about something else, but he should have known by now that luck wasn't on his side tonight.

"You 'used to'? What do you do now then?" Joe asked curiously. Danny sighed and downed the rest of his beer before signalling to the bartender for another. Joe raised an eyebrow.

"10 months ago my partner in Five 0 suffered a traumatic brain injury. He needs full time care, so I quit my job to look after him." Joe's eyebrows shot up and he took a drink. "I now just do paperwork for Five 0 so that I can be there for him when he'd not at a day-care centre."

"I know it's a lot to take in." Danny added after the other man hadn't said anything for a minute.

"So you, what, live with him? Feed and dress him, stuff like that?"

Danny's eye twitched, and he started to feel uneasy. "Yeah, I live in his house; had it adapted for him. I only help him with stuff like that, he can do most of it himself." Something about Joe's tone made him wary about talking about Steve.

"You don't have to wash and… _change him_ , do you?" Joe asked, a strange look on his face.

"No." Danny bit out through gritted teeth. "He doesn't need any help with that. Not that it matters, or really is any of your business if I did have to help him."

"It's a bit weird though, isn't it?" Joe asked, and Danny simply shrugged and took another sip of beer. "You quit your job, uprooted your life to look after a big baby?"

Danny felt the blood rush in his ears at hearing those last two words, and his mind instantly went back to a conversation with Steve he had months ago, when he explained that they were no longer together.

 _"Me… baby? St-stupid?" Steve said, tears rolling down his face._

"What?! He is NOT a 'big baby'!" Danny shouted, getting out of his chair. "He may be brain damaged, but he's still the smartest, kindest, and bravest person I know. He didn't spend half a year in hospitals and rehabs learning how to walk and talk again, how to hold things and how to function, to be badmouthed by a stranger. You don't know him. Or me." And with that, Danny stormed out of the bar without looking back.

* * *

Danny walked through the front door with a sigh, and fought the urge to slam it shut lest he wake Steve up. Looking at his watch he saw it was almost eleven o'clock – he'd only been out for almost three hours. He thanked Kono for coming over, and promised to explain what happened another day, only shaking his head to her questions about if it had gone well. Right now he just wanted one thing as he walked down the corridor.

Carefully opening Steve's bedroom door, he paused in the doorway and gazed at the man who was asleep in bed. The sight of Steve illuminated by his nightlight, his face smashed into his pillow and still clutching his soft toy to his chest made Danny smile instantly. He slipped his shoes off before going to sit on the edge of the bed. The added weight roused Steve from sleep and he slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Danno!" Steve exclaimed with his trademark smile that always came from seeing Danny, and wrapped his arms around Danny's waist as he buried his face in his neck. Danny returned the hug, his anger from the evening fading away as he held Steve's sleep-warm body close to him.

"Hey, baby." He whispered. Steve pulled back to gaze sleepily at his bedside clock.

"Danno home early? Little hand not at twelve." Danny smiled at him; the staff at his day centre were trying to help him remember how to tell the time and so far it was going well.

"Yeah I'm home. It, uh… wasn't a good time."

Steve frowned at him. "Bad man?"

"Yeah he was. So I left." Danny said. _How dare he make fun of Steve._

"Danno sad?" Steve asked.

"Not now I'm back home with you, babe." Danny cupped the side of his face. "I missed you."

"Steve missed Danno too. Danno stay here tonight?" Steve said as he lay back down under the covers.

"Do you want me to?" Danny bit back a laugh at Steve's eager nod, and stripped down to his boxers before climbing into Steve's bed. Steve instantly burrowed into his arms as Danny got comfortable on his back.

"Danno home with Steve." Steve whispered into Danny's shoulder. "Happy."

Danny didn't know if he'd try again some other time. But right now, he was perfectly content to be alone.

Well – not totally alone.

"Yeah, babe." He softly kissed the top of Steve's head. "Happy."


	2. Bumps In the Night

Steve awoke in the middle of the night with a start, chest heaving as he gasped for breath. After a few seconds he remembered where he was, plucking his stuffed cat toy from where it had gotten wedged between his pillow and the wall and holding it tight to his chest. Repeats of his nightmare flooded his brain and Steve closed his eyes in an attempt to block them out.

"Danno…" Steve whimpered as he curled onto his side, weakly kicking the covers off as they felt constricting. Images of himself being kidnapped with his hands and feet cuffed to a chair plagued him and he buried his face in the toy's soft, white fur. After a few minutes the visions seemed to have stopped, and Steve breathed a sigh of relief as he relaxed and tried to go back to sleep.

The strange woman was pumping his veins full of some mystery, dark liquid, and he was powerless to do anything about it with his hands and feet clamped to the chair. He was shirtless, and with his head hanging down he could see that his chest and arms were covered in sweat and dirt.

Steve's eyes shot open at the sudden reoccurrence of the nightmare. It feels so real, as if he was actually there in that dingy room with the dripping pipes. He was scared, so scared, and he knew the one thing that would make him feel better.

Slowly he sat on the edge of the bed, the soft glow of his nightlight illuminating the room enough for him to see as he pulled himself upright and over to open the door, shuffling down the hallway still clutching his cat to his chest in his right hand. Steve paused at the bottom of the stairs and bit his lip, before bracing his free hand on the banister and slowly, very slowly as he could feel his leg getting tired, he began to scale the stairs. Danny didn't like it when he climbed the stairs on his own, but Steve needed him. All of a sudden his vision returned, but something was different.

A man came towards him out of the darkness and prodded him in the chest with what looked like a stick, like the ones that grew on the trees outside his house. But this one was bad, and when it touched him he screamed and flung his head back in pain as shocks ran through his body.

Steve lurched forward as the images flooded his vision, unable to tell the difference between them and reality. Fortunately he'd managed to get to the landing halfway up the stairs and scrambled at the wall with both hands, not even noticing his stuffed cat slip from his grasp as hallucinations of the man jabbing him with the bad stick again and again and again swam in his eyes. Tears streamed down his face as his leg finally gave way and he slid down the wall and onto the hard wooden floor, his bad leg underneath him. Steve screamed in pain, both from the fall and from the man in his visions shocking him with the stick. Suddenly everything changed.

Now he was fighting the woman who had poisoned him, only partially cuffed to the chair now. He used anything he could to battle for his life, from taking her by surprise with a headbutt to the pole that still had the bags of dark fluid hanging from it. He could feel his heart racing while his arms legs squeezed the life out of one of his captors as he lay on the floor, and his head went back to rest on the wet surface.

Steve looked up from where he lay on his wooden floor and could just about make out the door to Danny's room, lit up by moonlight that was coming in through an open window at the end of the hallway. One shaky hand came up to grasp at a stair-ledge in an attempt to pull himself up, but he barely managed to drag himself a couple of inches.

Then his vision flashed to him breaking a pipe on the ceiling and water poured out and onto the floor and the woman. He was then sitting back in the chair with his head bowed, the woman's body on another stool in front of him. Her head was propped up with the broken-off end of a broom handle. Then the man from earlier came back in, and noticed something was wrong and drew his guns.

Steve lifted his bare feet up and touched the bad stick to the wet ground, sending shockwaves over to the other man who fell to the floor, and he breathed a sigh of relief. But then the man got up again and came towards him…

Steve began to panic, feeling like something was clawing at his chest and he couldn't breath. He screwed his face up as the tears kept flowing down his cheeks, and shouted the first word that came to his mind.

"Danno!"

* * *

Danny awoke to the sound of his name being called. Silence followed, so he put it down to a figment of his imagination and closed his eyes again, pulling the covers back over him from where they'd fallen down in the night.

But then he heard his name again, and this time there was no mistaking the faint sobs that followed. Danny sat up and frowned, listening carefully as he tried to figure out what was going on. Grace was at her mother's so it wasn't her making the noise, plus she knew to come to his room if she had a nightmare. Danny's face paled as he realised that only left one person who could be calling his name.

Danny jumped out of bed as he heard Steve now screaming his name, and ran out his door and down the hall. The sight that greeted him as he flicked the light on almost made his heart stop.

Steve was lying halfway up the stairs, bad leg underneath him and arms stretched out in front of him, one hand still gripping the stair-ledge. He cried out for Danny as soon as he saw him, and the blonde practically flew down the short flight of stairs, gently placing one hand on Steve's shoulder and the other on the side of his face.

"Steve, what the hell happened?! Are you okay? Why aren't you in bed?" Danny knew that firing too many questions at him wouldn't help, but he was panicking. Steve flinched at the hands on his body, but soon realised that this man wouldn't hurt him.

"Wanted Danno... Bad dream." Steve gasped out through his sobs. "Bad lady and man hurt Steve with a stick..."

Danny crouched by the taller man, not wanting to risk moving him until he knew if Steve was hurt anywhere, the hand on his shoulder squeezing reassuringly.

"Oh, babe... it was just a bad dream, it's all over now, Danno's here."

"No, Danno... kept seeing them when I up stairs. Steve..." Steve took a deep breath. "Steve hurt the lady back."

Danny's breath caught in his throat as he slowly realised what Steve had been seeing in his dreams and on his way up the stairs. Wo Fat and his accomplice torturing him in the basement of the launderette... "Babe, are you hurt anywhere? Your back or your head?"

"No… leg hurts." Steve shook his head, and Danny sighed.

He carefully got Steve sitting against the wall and handed him his beloved stuffed cat when he pointed to where it lay on the floor. Danny slowly helped him to stand up, putting both of his arms around him for support. Together they slowly climbed the rest of the stairs and made their way to Danny's bedroom, where the blonde carefully sat Steve down on the bed. Danny ran to the adjoining bathroom as soon as he was sure that Steve wouldn't move, and came back with a damp washcloth and a dry towel.

"Steve, I'm just gonna give your face a little wash, okay babe?" Danny sat next to him and brought the cloth up to his face. Then Steve's eyes went wide.

The woman was still alive, and she was holding a dirty cloth over his face. Then he heard someone – the man, he guessed – come towards him, and then freezing cold water was being thrown over his face. He could feel it coming through the cloth – it was stuck to his face and he couldn't breath – and trickling down his throat. His fists clenched on the arms of the chair as his head was forced back so that more water could invade his body.

Danny felt helpless as he watched Steve scramble away from him with a panicked look on his face, only stopping when his back hit the wooden headboard. "Please, no more water…" He pleaded, hands still gripping his toy.

Danny looked down at the cloth in his hand, and then up at Steve as his brain clicked into place. They water boarded him, you idiot. And he's reliving it all.

"Steve, babe I won't hurt you. It's just a cloth and a towel, no water. It's warm, too, see?" Danny slowly moved closer to Steve until he was sitting next to him, and gently took his hand and placed it on the cloth. Steve's breath hitched at first, and Danny worried that he'd made a mistake, but then another tear slipped down his face as he nodded.

"Okay, Danno."

Danny smiled at him and took hold of his hand as he soothingly wiped the tears from his face. He reached back for the towel and patted his face dry, pressing a soft kiss to Steve's forehead when he was done.

"Do you want some pain medicine, babe?" Danny whispered.

Steve nodded, and let go of his hand and watched as Danny got the bottle that he kept for emergencies out of the drawer, drew some of the liquid into a syringe, and eagerly swallowed it down when Danny gave it to him.

"Okay buddy, let's try and get some sleep, yeah?" Steve went willingly as Danny got them under the covers, burrowing into his arms with a sigh and closing his eyes again.

The man was coming towards him with guns. He jumped up and used the dead woman's body as a shield, throwing her into the man. The man dropped his guns, and Steve fought him for his life, his body already weakened from the water, shocks and the drugs. But he wasn't giving up as he threw the other man around, against the walls and even up into a ceiling light. The fight carried on and both men ended up on the floor, bloody and bruised. Steve saw a gun within his reach, but so did the other man and they raced to beat the other.

Both men drew their weapons against the other. His hands were shaking as he tried to hold it steady. The other man said something to him, and he took a breath as he pulled the trigger.

Steve was sobbing and shaking in his arms, and Danny felt powerless to help him. He could only imagine what Steve was seeing if he was remembering his ordeal at the hands of Wo Fat, and prayed that it ended soon.

"Steve? It's just a bad dream, baby, Danno's here now. You need to wake up, buddy." Danny gently shook him, and was relieved to see his green eyes slowly appear underneath long lashes.

"D-Danno?" Steve whispered, his fingers twisted in the blonde's shirt.

"Yeah babe, it's me. Danno's got you now, you're alright." Danny repeated his soothing words, rubbing a hand up and down Steve's back.

"Steve hurt the bad man, Danno… Shot him." Steve cried into his chest. Danny bowed his head to rest their foreheads together, holding him tight against his chest.

"He was hurting you too, though, babe… and he was a very bad man. You had to." Danny said, reaching down to link their fingers together, glad when the other man squeezed back.

Steve lay curled into his chest, his sobs having finally died down, and Danny thought he'd gone back to sleep until his quiet voice spoke up.

"Danno came for Steve after."

Danny realised that he was talking about when Five-0 had stormed the place and rescued Steve, and Danny had knelt in front of him, rubbing his neck and telling him everything was over now. He also told Steve that his dad had died, but fortunately he didn't seem to remember that part right now.

"That's right babe, I did. And I'll always come for you if you're in trouble." Danny promised as he rolled onto his back and bringing Steve with him, the taller man wrapping himself around Danny and burying his face in the crook of his neck. Danny felt something dig into his side, and let out a small laugh when he saw a familiar lump of white fur wedged in between the two men. "Danno loves you very much, Steve, okay? Try and get some sleep now, babe."

"Steve school 'morrow, Danno?"

"Nope, no school, buddy. It's been a long night and we're both tired. And no work for Danno either, I'm gonna spend the day at home with you tomorrow - whatever you want to do, we'll do." Danny explained, running the fingers of one hand through his hair. Looking down he could see a faint smile creep onto Steve's face as he processed what Danny had said.

"Danno swim with Steve?"

"Sure, if that's what you wanna do." Steve nodded into his chest. "Anything else?"

"No. Just be with Danno." Steve yawned.

Danny had to blink back tears, realising that Steve just wanted to spend time with him and didn't care what they did. He thought back to when they first met, and Steve gave him tickets to take Grace to swim with dolphins. That gave him an idea. Tomorrow morning he'd phone up the hotel that Grace and he went to and see if they could do him a favour…

"Okay. We'll have fun tomorrow, just me and you." Danny kissed Steve's forehead. "Love you, babe."

"Steve loves Danno, too." Steve fell asleep in seconds, safe in Danny's arms, and neither man woke up until the next morning.


	3. Naia

"Can Steve open eyes yet, Danno?"

"Not yet, babe. Just keep holding my hand, we're nearly there."

With Steve's hand tightly holding his, Danny led him out of the changing rooms of the Kalaha Resort and outside towards the lagoons. The place hadn't changed much since he'd came here with Grace all those years ago to swim with the dolphins, and this time he was here to do it all again but with Steve. Not that the man himself knew that, of course.

Last week Steve's dreams were plagued by flashbacks to when he was being tortured by Wo Fat, before he put a bullet in his head. Danny had found him lying halfway up the stairs in the middle of the night, screaming his name through sobs, and had brought him back to his bed to calm him down, promising that they'd have fun together at home the next day. Steve was elated at the prospect of having his Danno all to himself for a whole day, and of course the highlight of it was swimming in the ocean.

But Danny wanted to surprise Steve. So that night, as soon as Steve was asleep he rang the Kahala and booked them both onto the 'Dolphin Encounter' program in the Dolphin Quest resort. He'd been on the website earlier on while Steve was having a bath, read that it promised 'a touching, up-close and personal experience'* with the dolphins. It wasn't the same program that he'd done with Grace – he didn't think that Steve would enjoy the training activities, plus that one was aimed at young kids. No, he was happy with the one he had chosen; 30 minutes would be long enough for Steve as he would be tired just from keeping himself upright without his brace.

They reached the steps down to the pool, and Danny squeezed Steve's hand. "Okay, buddy. You can open your eyes now."

Steve's eyes blinked open and instantly smiled as he took in his surroundings, from the trees and shrubbery that framed the vast amount of water to the walkway in the middle of the pool. "We swim here, Danno?"

Danny bent down and unbuckled the brace on Steve's leg before placing it on a chair with their towels. "Sort of, babe. I've got a surprise for you." Danny sent Steve a reassuring smile as he guided him into the water until it was up to their waists, making sure that the taller man kept a hold of him to keep him steady.

"Where?" Steve asked.

"Look over there." Danny pointed over to the walkway to their left and Steve's gaze followed. He frowned as he saw a man and a woman walk to the wide middle of the platform and set a large bucket down, before making a strange noise with their voices. Steve watched in fascination as he saw two dolphins swim from their hiding place on the other side of the pool over to the walkway and catch the small fish that the people threw for them. Danny felt his heart swell with affection as he watched Steve look on in awe when the people – "They're dolphin trainers, babe." Danny whispered in his ear – got the dolphins to swim around before jumping in the air, spinning around before diving back under water and repeating, only pausing to catch more fish being thrown at them.

"Danno!" Steve tugged on his hand and pointed at the scene ahead of them. "Look!"

Danny reluctantly tore his gaze away from the man next to him and watched the show in front of them; both men clapping when the show ended and the dolphins just swam around in the water close to them.

"Hi there, guys!" One of the trainers walked down the platform to stand near where Danny and Steve were. "Which one of you is Steve?"

Steve's eyes went wide as he turned to look at Danny. "Danno?"

Danny simply grinned. "Relax babe, it's part of your surprise." He looked up at the tanned man as he clapped a hand on Steve's shoulder. "This one's your man."

"Great! My name is Kai, I'm one of the dolphins trainers here at the resort." The man said as he bent down and slid into the water, coming to stand with Danny and Steve. "Now Steve, your friend Danno told me that you really like nature and animals?"

Steve bit his lip as a timid smile graced his face and he nodded. He briefly looked at Kai but went back to staring around him as his hand reached underwater for Danny's and held on tight; he was excited but that didn't mean that he wasn't nervous.

"He's shy around new people." Danny explained, and Kai nodded in understanding.

"That's okay. Steve, would you like to stroke one of the dolphins?"

Steve's excited gasp made Danny's stomach do somersaults. "Yeah, please!" He turned to Danny, who couldn't help but grin at how happy Steve looked. "Danno! Steve st-stroke one!"

"Yeah I know, how cool is that! Go on then, buddy!" Danny watched as Steve shuffled away from him towards where the animal was, but turned around when he noticed that Danny wasn't moving.

"Danno not come with Steve?" Steve asked, a tinge of sadness in his voice.

"It's your surprise babe. Did you want me to?" Danny asked. Steve nodded, so Danny crossed the short distance and met up with him and Kai.

"Okay, Steve. This guy is called Liho!" Kai said with a hand on the dolphin. "It's Hawaiian for 'rare and precious', and he loves people."

"Hi." Steve smiled at the animal. Biting his lip, he timidly reached out towards the dolphin but hesitated and looked at Kai. "I can?"

Kai smiled and nodded, and so Steve stretched his arm out and gently placed his hand on the creature. He slipped an arm around Danny's waist when he started to wobble on his feet, and nestled closer to the smaller man when Danny pulled him into his side.

"You okay, buddy?"

The smile on Steve's face grew and he nodded at Danny's question, continuing to stroke to animal in front of them. "Thank you, Danno. I happy."

Danny squeezed his hip. "Anything for you, babe."

* * *

Notes: * - That's a direct quote from the website for the Kalaha Resort. And yes, there is a dolphin called Liho!


	4. Cause I Feel Like I'm Breaking Inside

It had been almost two years since Steve was injured and was rushed to Tripler, and he had received a letter from the Neurology department asking him to come in for a routine check-up appointment. Danny had rung them back, worried that something was wrong, but they had assured him that is was a normal thing to do when someone has a condition/disability such as Steve's, to make sure that he was stable and wasn't suffering from any difficulties now that he'd been living at home for just over a year.

Which is why they were there now.

Danny sighed as he flicked through another magazine in the waiting room, one eye glancing at Steve sitting next to him who was happily engrossed in a Rubik's Cube.

The receptionist called out Steve's name and said that they could go through, so Danny led him down the corridor and into the examination room. Danny helped Steve to sit up on the thin examination bed and sat on the chair next to it. The doctor came in and after introducing himself and getting a brief history from his case notes, set about performing some tests. He tested Steve's pupil reactions with his penlight and then got Steve to do some basic exercises with his arms and legs, to check his muscle strength. Danny watched closely and noticed the look of concentration on his face, but he could also see a speck of nervousness that he often wore these days.

"Okay Steve, that was good." The doctor then turned to look at Danny. "His results are consistent with what we expected at this stage. His right side is still weaker, and as you probably saw he had to work harder on it when I asked him too. Unfortunately as you know, this is permanent; but if Steve keeps taking his medication and using those limbs as best as he can then hopefully it will be a long time before it gets any worse. I just need to take some blood to check that his levels are fine, and then you can go for the CT scan."

Danny nodded in understanding, and the doctor turning around and got a tray ready with little bottles and a needle. Steve looked down at him and Danny gave him a reassuring smile and patted his knee, keeping his hand there. Steve's gaze snapped to the needle in the doctor's tray as the man turned around and held one of his arms still while he applied the tourniquet and found a vein. "Steve, this will feel like a sharp scratch but it won't last for very long, okay?"

"No!" Steve yanked his arm away as soon as the needle pricked his skin, trying to pull his shirtsleeve down but the rubber tourniquet stopped him. "I not!"

"Steve, the nice man needs to take some of your blood! You have to let him, buddy, so we can make sure that you're okay." Danny squeezed Steve's knee.

Steve stared down at him with wide eyes. "No, Danno! I not." Danny took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, ready to retaliate, but paused as Steve opened his mouth again. "I scared."

Danny sighed at the quietly spoken words, and moved to sit on the table next to Steve and slid both arms around him. "Is it the needle, babe? Do you not like it?" Steve shook his head, eyes still on the offending item, and Danny gave him a sad smile. "C'mere." Danny shuffled Steve around in his arms until his face was in the crook of his neck. Steve gripped Danny round his back with one hand while Danny was gently holding out his other arm. "Okay? Now you can't see it, and you can just focus on me. So can the doctor take some blood now, please?"

Steve nodded, and closed his eyes when the doctor took hold of his arm and placed a pillow underneath it, resting it on his thigh. Danny could feel him tense up when the needle slid under his skin and rubbed gentle circles on his back.

"Hurts, Danno! Make it stop!" Steve moaned and hid his face in Danny's neck as the doctor moved the needle around until some of Steve's blood flowed down the pipe and into the small bottle attached at the end.

"Sshhh, it's alright, babe," Danny whispered, hugging Steve close and lifting a hand up to stroke his hair. "Danno's got you. Focus on me, remember?"

After a couple of minutes, Danny was relieved to see that the doctor had filled all four of the bottles. He distracted Steve by pressing kisses behind his ear as the doctor took the needle out of his arm and replaced it with a band-aid.

"All done, Steve! You can open your eyes now." The doctor said.

Steve pulled away from Danny slightly, not wanted to fully let go of him just yet, and gazed down at the plaster on his arm before looking questioningly at Danny. "Done, Danno?"

Danny smiled and nodded. "Yeah, no more needles today, babe. We just need to have a quick scan and then we can go home." He helped Steve off the table and thanked the doctor for his patience, before taking his hand and leading him down to the scanning department.

* * *

Once Steve saw the CT scanner it took a lot of persuasion from Danny and the staff just to get him to lay down on the table, his head on a small pillow in the plastic cradle at the end.

"Danno stay?" Steve asked as he reached out for him. Danny squeezed his hand.

"I'm gonna be in the room behind me, okay? I can't be with you while the machine is on, because… because the machine is only for you." Danny bent the truth slightly, figuring if he'd said that 'I can't be in here because I don't want the radiation from the scanner.' Steve would balk and Danny would never get him back in the room.

Steve craned his head around and saw the room that Danny was talking about, biting his lip as he tried to process that he'd be on his own. "But-" Steve started to speak, but something in Danny's expression made him stop. Steve sniffed and his gaze dropped down to his hands where they rested on his chest, picking at his shirt.

Danny suddenly realised he was frowning down at him and grinding his teeth, and quickly adopted a more friendly expression on his face. "Sorry buddy, but I can't. No 'but's. But you won't be on your own in there!" Danny reached into Steve's rucksack and handed him his stuffed cat. "Okay? There are microphones so I can talk to you while you're in here, and you can even talk back to me. There's even a camera so that I can see your face. Once this is done we'll go home."

Danny turned and walked towards the door, shutting it behind him and falling into the closest chair with a sigh. He gripped the arms of the chair so hard his knuckles turned white, as he tried to not lose his temper at what was supposed to be a 'quick scan' had already become a 30-minute stress-fest, and Steve had only just gotten on the table.

The doctor sitting next to him glanced at Danny but didn't say anything, instead pressing the microphone button and informing Steve that the scan was starting now.

A small whine came out of Steve as it jolted him backwards slightly until all he could see was the white plastic of the machine surrounding him. The cradle stopped him from being fully able to twist his head around to examine his surroundings, and his breathing started to speed up, gripping his toy tightly to his chest. Danny bit back a groan of frustration as he saw Steve moving around on the screen, and reached for the microphone.

"Steve? You need to keep still, babe, I can see your face moving. The machine is going to start now, okay? It's gonna be loud, but should only last for a few minutes." Steve calmed a fraction at the sound of Danny's voice over the speaker system and nodded.

"I try, Danno." Steve said quietly.

The machine then whirred into life. Steve's faced screwed up at the loud noise, feeling like daggers were trying to enter his ears. He tried to stay still – he said to Danno that he would and he loved his Danno very much – but then the whirring became even louder and he couldn't do it any more.

"Danno, please!" Steve begged, eyes clamped shut and shaking his head. He slightly bent his legs at the knees, his torso lifting off of the table as he wriggled in distress. "Too loud, stop!" Danny looked up and saw Steve's whole body moving around, his fist clenching on the desk.

"Should I stop so you can go and calm him down?" The doctor asked. Danny took a deep breath before shaking his head. "Okay, but I can't get a clear picture with him moving around."

"Just… let me try something." Danny pulled the microphone over. "Steve!"

"Danno?" Steve stopped writhing his body around but his hands still covered his ears, one still gripping his toy.

"Yeah buddy, it's me. You've got to stop moving around. I know it's really loud and you don't like it but you need to stay still! The nice doctor needs to get a picture of inside your head so that we know that everything is okay. He can't do that if you keep on moving!" Danny tried to reason with Steve, but it fell on deaf ears.

"Want hug, Danno! Please!"

Danny buried his face in his hands. Part of him wanted to run into there and wrap his arms around Steve, who clearly needed him. But he also wanted Steve to be able to do this by himself. Why does he always need me? I thought after almost two years he'd be able to manage being apart for five minutes…Danny didn't like where his thoughts were going, so he ran his hands down his face before starting again.

"Steve… I've already said I can't, babe. You're just gonna have to be brave for me and lay still for a few minutes, there's nothing I can do. " Danny said, feeling his patience ebb away as he repeated himself again. He looked up at Steve's face on the screen, sighing when he saw the first tear slip down his face.

"But Danno-"

Danny slammed his fist down on the desk. "STEVE! I said 'no'! For fu-" A hand flew to cover his mouth to stop the rest of that sentence. Guilt washed over him as Steve had flinched at the loud sound of his hand hitting the metal surface of the desk, and was now staring straight ahead with wide eyes and biting his lip.

Danny flicked the microphone off and looked at the doctor. "Do you absolutely need to do the scan today?"

"If not today, he'll need to come back another time – and I should warn you to not do that again, Mr. Williams."

Danno nodded. "I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from, I've never done that before… it's just..." He waved his hands around, unable to find the words. The doctor gave him a sympathetic nod. "Anyway, come on. Let's get this done."

Danny flicked the microphone back on and took a deep breath to make sure that he was calm. "Steve?" All Danny got in reply was the sound of breathing. He looked up and saw Steve on the screen, eyes gazing off to one side. His stuffed toy was clasped below his chin, long fingers twisting the fur.

"Yeah, Danno?" Steve said, swallowing past the lump in his throat.

"I'm sorry for shouting, buddy, okay? But we need to get this done, do you understand?" Steve nodded. "Hey, do you want me to keep talking to you while the machine is whirring? Then you can focus on listening to my voice."

"Please no shout, Steve scared." Danny felt terrible. He never wanted to be the reason that Steve looked or sounded that miserable again.

Danny cleared his throat. "I promise I won't, babe."

Steve nodded again, and Danny began talking about anything that came to mind; mostly about Grace and Charlie and what they may be getting up to this week – Rachel had asked to take them to England for the school holidays to see her parents.

He breathed an internal sigh of relief as Steve calmed down and watched him keep still long enough for the doctor to get the scans that he needed. While the pictures were coming through onto the screen, the doctor pulled a flyer out from a desk drawer and handed it to Danny.

"It's not my place, Mr. Williams, but I know that these situations are tough. We see a lot of people like Steve, and their carers too. The hospital runs support group sessions for the carers, as this kind of thing can take its toll on a person. I should also say that the people that those carers look after? Their needs are varied; most of them are more challenging than Steve's. But those people who look after their loves ones? They all know what you're going through, and the trials you've had to overcome. But right now Steve is stable, happy and in a loving environment in his own home. Not everyone is that lucky."

Danny stared down at the paper in his hand and nodded. "I feel like such a dick. I don't resent my role at all, I'm happy to do it. And I love him so much, I couldn't imagine my life without him. He's worked so fucking hard just to get to where he is now, and here I am losing my shit because he doesn't like the scanner."

The doctor shook Danny's hand as he stood up, assuring him that the scan results were consistent with Steve's condition, and that the next appointment would be in another years time. "Try going for one session, and see how it goes. It may surprise you."

"Maybe… Thank you." Danny said as he walked out of the room.

As he walked over to the scanner, the table moved out of the ring of plastic. Steve pushed himself until he was sitting on the edge of it, his trusty cat next to him. He nervously looked up as Danny approached him, but relaxed when the blonde quickly wrapped his arms around him.

"C'mere, you." Steve enveloped himself around Danny and buried his face in his neck. "I'm so sorry for shouting, baby. Danno didn't mean it."

"'T's okay." Steve mumbled.

Danny shook his head. "No, it's not okay. It's not your fault, and I shouldn't have yelled." He pulled back and pressed a kiss to Steve's forehead, thumb wiping a few stray tears away. "Let's go home, yeah?"

* * *

It was getting dark by the time they got home, so Danny fixed some dinner for himself and Steve. Danny wasn't much hungry and only picked at his food, but he was pleased to see that Steve ate all of his without much difficulty.

Later Danny ran him a bath and helped him into the tub. Once Steve was happily playing with his toys Danny left him to it, telling him to come find him afterwards for a story. He preoccupied himself with clearing up their dinner things, but then Danny found himself at a loss with what to do. He could faintly hear Steve talking to himself in the bathroom as he usually does, but other than that the house was eerily quiet.

He thought back to the events earlier, and to the flyer that was still in his coat pocket. Danny couldn't believe that he'd nearly shouted at Steve for something that he knew that Steve had no control over. In the beginning, when all this was new, he had no trouble adjusting to this new Steve. Maybe subconsciously he'd done it because he believed that his Steve would come back to him, that the brain damage would only be temporary.

But Steve had been home for a little over a year, and he was still the same. And would likely never change, at least not for the better. As Danny braced himself against the kitchen counter with his back to the door, he realised that maybe that's why he'd shouted at Steve earlier. It wasn't the first time either. Over the last few weeks Danny had felt himself getting more worked up and had snapped at Steve a couple of times. He'd apologized straight away of course, but this was different - he'd never shouted before.

He'd declined Chin and Kono's offer of seeing a therapist, adamant that he was coping fine at home - but maybe they were right. Even Lou had said to him that looking after Steve every day for the length of time that he had must be hard, and how had he managed without talking to someone about it? Danny had balked, saying that he speaks to people, thank you very much. But he knew that Lou was referring to a therapist.

Danny felt his blood pressure creep up at the realization that maybe… maybe it was time to speak to someone. The realization that this was his life now was slowly starting to sink in. But he didn't want to admit to someone that he was struggling! It was like the doctor had said to him earlier – Steve was as healthy as he'd ever be, and happy at home with him. Danny didn't want anyone to think that he couldn't look after Steve, because he could, damnit! What if he told someone that he was having issues adjusting and he was deemed unfit to care for Steve?

The thought of Steve being taken away from him angered him so much that before he knew what he was doing he'd already punched the counter-top. Shit! Danny cringed as his whole hand throbbed, the knuckles already a deep red.

He knew that it was a stupid thing to do, and was regretting it already as he ran his hand under the cold tap for a few seconds. But he also felt like he deserved it after the way he treated Steve earlier. Sighing, he held an ice pack that he'd grabbed from the freezer to his hand and made his way to Steve's room.

"Steve?"

Steve was staring at his things on top of the chest of drawers, when he turned around at the quiet voice coming from the doorway. Steve stared at Danny with shining eyes, fingers twisting the bottom of his t-shirt, before a flicker of a smile graced his face. Danny smiled back at him as he walked over. "Hey, babe. How was your bath?"

Steve's eyes zeroed in on the ice pack that Danny was holding. "Danno?"

"Oh that? I must have, uh..." Danny's voice drifted off as he watched Steve lift the ice pack and see his already-bruised and swollen hand.

Danny's heart almost stopped as Steve took hold of his injured hand with both of his larger, albeit shaking, ones and held it out in front of him, before bending his head down and gently kissing each swollen knuckle. "I kiss it better. Like Danno does for Steve!"

Danny squeezed Steve's hand before letting go, looking down at the floor as more guilt washed over him. He closed his eyes as he felt tears threatening to escape.

Steve looked at him with watery eyes, hands back to fidgeting with his shirt. "Danno want Steve go new place?" His voice wobbled.

Danny's head snapped up. "What?! Of course not, babe, why would you think-"

"Danno yelled. And hit, Steve saw Danno in kitchen."

Shame joined the guilt hanging over Danny. "Oh, no..."

"'T's okay." Danny opened his mouth to argue but Steve held a shaky hand out. "Please. Okay for Danno to get fr-fru-" Steve sighed, and took a deep breath before trying again, more slowly this time. "Fru-ster-ated. Steve… new."

Danny choked back a sob, taking Steve's outstretched hand in both of his. "Yes, it's okay for me to be frustrated, but I shouldn't take it out on you. It's not fair to yell at you just because you're different now. None of this is your fault, Steve, do you understand?"

Steve nodded, not noticing or caring that tears were trickling down his face. "But... please no yell, Danno. Or hit."

Danny reached up with his free hand and brushed Steve's tears away with his thumb, leaving his own to fall freely. "I promise, no more yelling at you or hitting things. Danno's…" He sighed, making the decision that he'd been putting off. "Danno's gonna see some people."

"Why?"

"Because Danno doesn't want to scare you again, baby. I never want to make you afraid of me. And these people are going to help me to not be so angry." Steve smiled in understanding.

"'Kay."

Danny squeezed Steve's hand again. "Now, how about a story, huh?" Steve nodded, and Danny got them both settled into bed and under the covers. Steve nestled into his side and held Danny tight around the waist as he listened to him read from a book.

"So Danno stays here?" Steve piped up as Danny finished the last page. He paused, arm halfway back from putting the book on the bedside shelf, and looked down at Steve.

"Yeah, of course." Danny rubbed his arm, but Steve sat back slightly to look at his face.

"And Steve gets to stay here, too… right?" He asked, his voice wavering.

Danny stared slack jawed at Steve, before swallowing past the lump in his throat. "Oh… C'mere…" He wrapped both arms tightly around Steve, gently rocking him. "Of course you're staying here with me. There's no way I'd even dream about sending you away."

Steve sobbed in relief, his shoulders shaking as he cried into Danny's neck. "Danno loves you so much, baby. Never forget that." Danny mumbled, pressing kisses into Steve's hair.

"Love you, Danno." Steve said quietly.

"Did you want Danno to stay with you tonight?"

Steve managed to choke out a "Yeah", so Danny managed to release his grip long enough to shimmy out of his pants, leaving just his t-shirt and boxers, before Steve wrapped himself back around Danny as he burrowed under the covers. Danny traced random patterns on his back through his shirt, and was relieved when Steve quickly fell asleep.

Closing his eyes, Danny understood that he had to speak to someone about how he was feeling. Whether he wanted to or not, he'd do it - for Steve.


	5. Mother & Son

"My… mine?"

"Yeah, babe. All yours."

Danny beamed as he looked at Steve from his chair next to the bed. The occupant of said bed was currently looking around in awe at the two new bubble light towers that were in his room, and up at the ceiling where an amazing display of fibre-optic lights were giving the impression of a nights sky. He had installed them earlier that afternoon while Steve was at his day centre as a surprise for him - and in the hopes that they would help Steve relax enough to sleep, something that was currently an issue. Danny had gotten the idea from the the brain injury support group that he frequented every now and again; one of the other carers found that they worked a treat in providing a calming environment.

"So I'm guessing you like them, buddy?" Danny asked. Steve made a happy sound to match his grin. "You'll love it when I do this, then."

Steve squealed in delight when, at the press of the button on a small remote from Danny, the colour of the lights on the ceiling changed to a warm orange.

"Danno! Awesome!" Steve exclaimed, eyes torn between the ceiling and Danny.

The breath caught in Danny's throat as Steve turned his head fully and he saw the blissful expression on his face. He knew then that his idea was a success. With one arm resting on Steve's pillow above his head, Danny wrapped his other arm around Steve's torso as the man rolled into his chest.

It was an awkward embrace, given the different positions that both men were in, but Steve sighed in contentment as he buried his face in Danny's upper torso and his fingers curled into his shirt that was still damp from his bath earlier. "Steve loves Danno." He mumbled.

Danny would never grow tired of hearing that. "Aw baby, Danno loves you too. You're my special guy." Danny rubbed Steve's back. Danny felt warmth spread through his chest as he held Steve as best as he could. The past few months have been rough for both men, and moments like these were cherished. Especially for Danny, who was grateful for every day with Steve after everything that had happened.

"Alright, babe. It's bedtime now, so let's try and sleep, yeah?" Danny said as he maneuvered Steve out of his embrace and under the covers, handing him his stuffed cat before plucking a book from the nearby bookcase. Steve made another happy, content noise as Danny ran the fingers of one hand soothingly through his hair as he read, and by the end of the story Steve's eyelids had closed. Danny smiled down at what had become one of his favourite sights - Steve seemingly asleep and at peace, Danny's hand still running across his head.

A knock at the front door startled Danny. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as Steve's eyes opened at the sudden sound and he looked up at him. "Danno?"

"Sshh, don't worry, buddy." Danny whispered, squeezing his outstretched hand as he stood up. "I'll go and see who it is. Try and get some sleep, Steve."

Danny made his way to the front door, ready to tell whoever it was to beat it; he found it hard enough to get Steve to sleep lately without unwanted interruptions. And looking through the peephole made Danny want to just turn around and go back to Steve, but he knew that this woman wouldn't go away. So he reluctantly opened the door.

"Cath?"

"Hi, Danny." Cath walked past Danny as he invited her in and shut the door behind her. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" She pointed to his t-shirt, which still had damp patches on it.

"Oh this?" Danny pulled at his shirt, a small smirk on his face. "Residue from bathtime. Right now I'm trying to get His Lordship to sleep, so… what's up?"

Cath shot Danny a nervous look. "It's about Doris."

Danny ran both hands down his face, leading her down the corridor and listening as Cath explained about the CIA, and that Doris was being held prisoner in Morocco and she wanted to get her out.

By the time that Cath had finished explaining the situation, they'd reached the doorway to Steve's room.

"So, what did you come to me for? Dunno if you've noticed but I'm hardly her biggest fan?" Danny said.

"I know, Danny, but you're still with Five-0. She needs our help!" Cath pleaded to Danny. "And… she's Steve's mom."

Danny hung his head in defeat. "I know, but…" He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked up at Cath. "Doris wanted to take him away from me, said he'd be better off in some random-ass care home than here with me. Like _she'd_ know what was best for him."

"I'm sorry, Danny… I didn't know that." Cath bit her lip, suddenly feeling rather stupid. She looked around, unable to meet Danny's eyes, but paused as she spotted something in the room next to them. "He seems happy enough."

Danny followed her gaze and couldn't help the smile that graced his face. Steve was still lying on his side facing the chair that he was in, but Danny could faintly hear him mumbling as he slowly moved his toys around on the bed, instructing them on what to do in the world that he'd imagined.

"Yeah, he is." Danny said quietly, unable to look away. Until Cath asked him the question he'd been dreading.

"How's he doing? I haven't seen you guys since Kono's wedding."

"He's…" Danny sighed, shoving his hands in the pockets of his shorts. "Not as good, to be honest. His mobility's gotten worse, using the wheelchair more often than the brace now. He had a mini stroke a few months ago, so his speech and cognition have gone down a bit as well. See those huge bubble light towers? They're supposed to, along with the fibre-optic light show currently going on the ceiling, provide a calming environment for Steve so he can sleep. Or calm down if he's upset."

Cath looked like she was about to cry, so Danny held a hand out in front of her. "It sounds worse than it is, trust me! Yes, it's bad that Steve's gotten sicker but it could be a lot worse, trust me. He's still alive, and for that I am very grateful."

"I don't know how you do it Danny, honestly." Cath not so subtly brushed a stray tear away with her thumb.

"He'd do the same for me." Danny said with the utmost confidence, and Cath nodded in agreement.

"And are you okay? It must be harder now than it was before." She asked.

"Ah, don't worry 'bout me. I'm alright." Danny shrugged off her concern, not letting on just how much of a white lie that was. Manhandling Steve around the house every day for the last few months since his stroke was beginning to take its toll on his body.

"As long as you're sure, Danny…" Cath didn't believe him for a second, but knew that it wasn't her place to interfere. "Anyway… what do you want me to do about Doris?"

Danny sighed, taking one last look at Steve before straightening his frame and facing Cath. "Ask Kono and the others, I'm sure they'll help you, Cath. I hope you succeed, honestly. But I can't leave Steve on his own - not at this short notice."

Cath shook her head. "Don't worry, Danny. I didn't expect you to come with me. But thank you." She looked behind her. "Go back to Steve, I'll see myself out." Danny nodded in thanks.

* * *

Steve was so absorbed in playing with his toys that he didn't register that Danny had sat back down in the chair beside the bed until he spoke. "I thought you'd be asleep by now, babe."

Steve looked up and, upon seeing Danny broke out into a grin. "Danno!"

"Don't 'Danno' me, buddy. You should be sleeping." Danny's smirk belayed his tone of voice as he leant on the edge of the bed, one hand soothingly stroking Steve's hair. "Now come on, you've got all these cool lights in here, and Danno's back now. So how about you get to sleep, huh?"

Steve continued to smile up at him, even though his eyelids were drooping and his head moved into Danny's hand as it ran through his hair. "Danno, lights!"

Danny nodded, continuing his gentle motions that appeared to be working. Steve hugged his cat to his chest as Danny moved his other toys to their usual place at the side of the bed against the wall.

"Love you." Steve sighed as his eyes finally closed and he slipped into sleep. Danny smiled as he leant over and kissed the side of his face before pulling the covers up and over him.

"Danno loves you, babe." Danny whispered, before he sat back in his chair and resumed running his fingers through Steve's hair. He looked down at the man in question who was currently sucking his thumb much to Danny's annoyance, and his thoughts went to Cath, hoping that she succeeded on her mission. As much as he hated Doris, he didn't want her to die in prison.

He had no idea how he'd explain that one to Steve, who was currently sleeping soundly and was blissfully unaware of what was happening.

Danny just hoped that he wouldn't have to.


	6. Ulia Popilikia (Stroke)

Only a few hours ago everything was normal. Danny had woken and dressed ready for another day at work, and had gone down to wake Steve to help him get ready for the day. But as soon as he saw him Danny knew something was wrong.

The doctors had warned him that Steve had a significantly higher chance of having a stroke due to the pre-existing damage to his brain, so he knew the signs to look for. And when he saw Steve struggling to sit up in bed and trying feebly to reach out for him he felt as if the ground had given way underneath him as he phoned for an ambulance.

As soon as they arrived in the emergency room the doctors whisked Steve away for a CT scan to confirm Danny's suspicion, before administering the thrombolysis drug to break up the blood clot. The specialist stroke team of doctors hung around Steve like a hawk afterwards, performing various tests on him to determine how much damage had been done; to Danny they were eerily familiar to the ones performed almost two years ago. Nobody had officially told him anything yet, but Danny could see that Steve was taking longer than normal to answer their simple questions.

"So, what's the verdict, doc?" Danny asked one of the doctors as they all filed out of their little cubicle in the emergency room, giving Steve a chance to rest. The woman hesitated as she looked at Steve and then back at Danny, which the blonde took as a bad sign. "Oh shit. It's bad, isn't it? I mean, I know he was slow at answering those questions but he _did,_ he tried-"

"Calm down, Detective!" The doctor held a hand out to halt Danny's rant. "It's not bad, but…"

"It's not good." Danny sighed.

The young woman sighed. "Sadly not, no. Steve had a mini-stroke; not as dangerous as a full blow one, but it was enough for his brain to be cut off of it's normal oxygen supply for long enough to do some damage to how he processes things."

"What do you mean? Sorry, it's just… could you explain it terms of what Steve will be like now? I know he'll be different - even more than he already was."

"Well… okay. His level of cognition will be lowered. His speech is slightly slurred as you saw just now. Looking at his extensive notes from a couple of years ago I see that the original injury causes coordination issues with the right side of his body?" At Danny's nod, the doctor continued. "Unfortunately that side will most likely be weaker now - we'll move him to a specialist stroke ward soon so that he can get some rest, and then run further tests to see how much weaker he is."

Danny scrubbed his face with both hands before looking through the gap in the fabric curtains surrounding Steve. He sighed as he saw the man picking at the ECG leads stuck to his chest with his left hand while his right hand lay in his lap.

"Is that normal?" Danny frowned and pointed at the twitching that Steve's right hand was doing.

"Steve may be trying to move it himself, but it's hard right now. That side isn't very responsive, but don't worry, Detective. With some physio, he may be able to get back some mobility."

"Just 'some'?"

"I'm sorry, but at this stage it's too early to tell exactly how much he'll get back." Danny nodded and thanked the young doctor before heading back behind the curtain.

* * *

After a short wait Steve was moved onto the stroke ward, and settled in a proper hospital bed instead of the narrow stretcher from the emergency room. Danny phoned and made arrangements for Grace to stay at Rachel's until Danny knew more about what was going to happen, before getting Chin to drop by with some clothes and Steve's medication.

"Danno?" Steve asked as Danny finished putting everything away.

"Yeah, babe?" Danny took a breath and smiled as he turned to look at him. Outside he portrayed a calm face for Steve's sake - he was already confused enough about what was going on without seeing his Danno upset - but inside he was anything but calm.

"I'm hungry." Steve said quietly, hugging his stuffed cat to his chest with his better side.

Danny ran a hand through his hair, not surprised as they'd been in the hospital for several hours now. He nodded and got a nurse, who said that since Steve hadn't been seen by the speech and language therapist yet he wasn't cleared to eat normal food, but she would see what she could thanked her, and was soon perched on the edge of the bed and spooning the soup and bread into him before he joined Steve on the bed with his back to the headboard.

"C'mere, buddy." He muttered, gathering Steve into his arms as the man reached out with his good hand. "It's gonna be okay."

"Go home soon?" Steve looked at him with hopeful eyes, and Danny wished that he could tell him what he wanted to hear.

"No, babe… we're gonna stay here for a few days until the doctors say you can go home."

Steve groaned and screwed his face up before lightly pushing it into Danny's shoulder. "Why?"

"Because you're sick, and Danno needs to make sure that you're better, so I'm staying here with you too." Steve seemed to accept that answer and burrowed further into Danny's side. Danny had been granted permission to stay in Steve's room with him, much like before. But instead of sleeping in a recliner chair he's been given a spare hospital mattress on the floor; Danny didn't mind, he would have tried sleeping standing up if it meant he could stay with Steve.

Steve eventually dozed off and Danny sighed as he watched his chest rise and fall as he slept in his arms. Various machines were beeping around him, leads connected to Steve keeping track of his vital signs and heart rate. Doctors explained to Danny that they'd start exercising Steve's weakened side and his legs as soon as possible, to make sure that he maintains as much mobility as possible for when he goes home.

But Danny was a realist. He could see the differences in Steve already; he was barely moving his right side and was struggling with his speech. Danny always hated his ability to see the negative future for everything, and instantly envisioned himself not being able to take care for Steve anymore due to his new physical demands and having to find him somewhere specialist to live.

He thought back to almost two years ago when Steve lay in the intensive care unit in an induced coma, and how he'd had similar thoughts back then.

 _But he stayed with you, didn't he? The past year you've looked after him at home, after he was in hospital and that rehab centre. He'd tell you that if he could, Williams._ Danny smirked as he imagined Steve reminding him of how much Danny's done for him, complete with raised eyebrows and hand gestures he's picked up from him.

 _Exactly! So shut up worrying. You thought you wouldn't be able to cope, but he's been so happy at home. Yeah, it's gonna be hard to readjust - again - and he might need some specialist stuff at home if the physio doesn't work, there's still plenty of his trust fund money leftover from the last build. But what's the alternative? A care home?_

Danny took in the sight of Steve sleeping against him. His beloved stuffed cat was wedged in the crook of his right arm that had gotten trapped in between them, and his left thumb was in his mouth. Danny sighed, normally he discouraged Steve from sucking his thumb but he let it slide, figuring that today was an exceptional circumstance.

He'd known Steve for seven years and he was Danny's best friend. But more importantly he was Steve's Danno. Danny couldn't take that away from him.

"No." Danny whispered. He held him closer and brushed his lips against Steve's forehead. _He'll be alright. This is just another bump in the road for us, but we'll manage. Whatever it takes._


	7. Vacation's Where I Wanna Be

Danny sighed as he looked at his watch, then up at the display board that still said that the flight to New Jersey wasn't ready to board yet due to the plane being refuelled.

He wouldn't mind so much if it wasn't almost 6am and he was tired, and if he also didn't have an equally tired Steve slumped against him on the bench in the departure lounge. At least Lou was here to help him with their luggage, even at the ungodly hour.

"Hopefully not much longer, buddy." Danny muttered, one arm around him and rubbing his bicep. "They just need to put lots of fuel in the plane."

Steve had an arm around Danny's waist and his head was nestled in the crook of his neck. He rubbed his eyes and nodded, when something caught his gaze.

"Danno?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Man's watching me." Steve whispered. Danny frowned down at him before following his line of sight, and sure enough a man on the other side of the row of benches was looking at them with a strange expression.

Steve cringed and tried to hide his face in Danny's chest. Danny was pissed, but he wasn't quick enough.

"Hey!" Lou piped up from Danny's other side, causing the stranger to jump. "What you looking at?!"

The man flushed bright red with embarrassment, at being caught staring and by being told off by a large man with a gun holster on his hip. Lou raised his eyebrows, the man got the message and quickly grabbed his bag and fled to another empty seat as far away as possible from the three of them.

"That's what I thought." Lou muttered.

"Thanks." Danny said after coaxing Steve out of his hiding place under his arm.

Lou waved off his thanks, before gesturing to the board. "Looks like you guys are up! Have a safe flight."

 _Finally!_ Danny thought. He hauled Steve upright and made sure he had a firm grip on his hand before heading over to the desk and handing over their tickets, Lou following behind with their carry-on bag before bidding farewell.

Danny hadn't taken any chances - this was Steve's first flight after the accident and he wanted to be prepared, so he'd crammed in his medication, his stuffed cat, a couple of books and other toys. He'd also - again, no idea how it all fit in one bag - packed one of Steve's blankets; the ones on planes were never any good, plus it'll be cold in the air.

Once the plane was in the air and the seatbelt sign was off Danny reclined Steve's seat as far as it would go so he could sleep and covered him with his blanket.

"Here you go, babe. I'll wake you when they bring the food round, okay?" Danny said as he handed him his cat. Steve nodded into the toy's white fur and curled into his side facing Danny, and after a few seconds he was asleep with his face buried in the small pillow.

Danny got his Kindle out and shoved the bag back under his seat. He clicked to the page he bookmarked and settled back in his seat, one hand resting on Steve's shoulder.

* * *

Danny finished his book after about an hour and dug his iPod out, reclining his seat slightly - thankful again that he paid extra for First Class seats and therefore had lots of room and privacy - and shut his eyes for a quick nap.

An unknown time later Danny woke up as he heard the food trolley being pushed down the plane. He scrubbed his face to wake himself up and shoved his iPod back in his bag. Steve was already awake and sitting up, staring out of the little window at the ocean below them.

As soon as Steve saw that Danny was awake he beamed. "Danno!" He tugged on Danny's jumper sleeve to get his attention, pointing to the window. "Lots of sea."

Danny smiled at the excited look on Steve's face and rubbed his back after righting both of their seats. "Yeah I know, babe. We're-" He looked at his watch and raised his eyebrows when he saw the time. "Wow, we're almost halfway there."

It was then that he noticed that the air hostess had arrived with their meals. Danny gratefully accepted them and placed them on the tray-tables. Steve managed most of his on his own, Danny only helping to scoop out his dessert from the small plastic pot.

Afterwards Steve went back to gazing out at the world below them, and while he was excited at first when the ocean disappeared and became cities underneath them, it didn't last long when he realised that they still had a long way to go and he quickly became restless. Danny pinched the bridge of his nose and took several deep breaths. He spent the last few hours keeping Steve entertained as best he could with the toys and books that he brought, deciding that next time his parents wanted a visit they could come to him.

Danny breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his father waiting for them at the gate after they disembarked the plane - it meant that it was the end of one of the most stressful and longest plane rides of his entire life.

Hugs were exchanged and they made their way to baggage claim to collect their suitcase and Steve's wheelchair - they may be only in New Jersey for four nights but Danny didn't want to chance it.

After making sure that Steve was fine to carry on walking and was holding his hand, Danny followed Eddie out of the airport and to his truck.

Once they arrived at Danny's parents house he and Steve were instantly set upon by Clara, who nearly knocked Steve off balance with the force of her hug. Danny rolled his eyes and laughed as she led Steve around on a tour downstairs while he took their bags up to his old room.

"So, Danny," Clara asked him when he came back down, Steve happily engrossed in playing with their cat in the lounge under Eddie's watchful eye. "How was the flight?"

"Oh my God, it was… interesting." Danny meant against the kitchen worktop, nursing a much needed coffee. "We both slept the first half. But then Steve woke up raring to go and I tell ya, trying to keep him occupied for almost 4 hours was a nightmare."

"Well, you're here now. Does he know about the trip?" Clara asked, changing the topic before her son got into one of his rants.

Danny shook his head. "No. He's going to go berserk and it'll be a miracle if I can get him to leave the damn place later."

Clara raised an eyebrow and smirked as she put all the sandwiches she'd made onto plates. "I seriously doubt he'll be _that_ bad, Danny."

"Oh, I think he will. I mean, I hope, I _pray_ that Steve will be fine. But you know how he feels about animals. I told you about the time I took him to see the dolphins, right?" Danny drained the last of his coffee, setting the mug on the counter and rolling up the sleeves of his hooded jacket.

"I'm sure you'll be fine. You've done such a good job already."

Clara smiled as Steve appeared in the kitchen and Danny turned to see what she was looking at. "You alright, babe?" Danny asked, eyes scanning him for any bumps or bruises he may have acquired.

Steve nodded as he came up to Danny and wrapped him in a crushing hug. "Steve loves Danno."

"Aw, Danno loves you too, babe." Danny rubbed his back as Steve pulled away but lingered close.

"He was sitting on the couch one minute, then suddenly got up and came in here. Is something wrong?" Eddie asked from the doorway, having followed Steve.

Danny cocked his head and looked at Steve, who in turn was staring down at his fingers as they toyed with the strings on Danny's hoodie. He smiled softly and shook his head, hand still on Steve's back. "He'll randomly come find me and say he loves me. One time he waited until I came out of the bathroom to tell me."

Clara glanced at the clock on the wall behind them and tapped Danny on the arm. "Hey, you'd better have lunch if you wanted to get going, Danny." She glanced at Steve, but he was still transfixed by Danny's jacket. Danny nodded in agreement, and everyone sat down to eat.

* * *

"Where we going, Danno?" Steve asked, one gloved hand holding onto Danny's as they walked down the bustling sidewalks. He was under strict orders to not let go of Danny's hand in case he accidentally got knocked over by one of the many pedestrians.

"You'll see, buddy. It's a surprise." Danny said. "Are you warm enough?"

"Yeah." Danny had bundled him up in the thickest coast he could find, and a spare pair of his gloves.

"Good…" Danny replied, looking both ways before crossing the busy road. They came to a stop outside a large metal sign and Steve looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Danno?" He said, frowning up at the sign for the Turtle Back Zoo and then back at Danny.

Danny pointed with his free hand up to the sign. "See, babe? What do those letters spell - a Z and two O's? 'Zoo'"

"'Zoo'?" Steve said the word again, before his eyes lit up in realisation and he squealed. " _Yeah, Danno!_ Go see the aminals!" He tried to charge ahead but Danny pulled him back.

" _'_ _Animals'_ , Steve. And yeah, we're gonna go and see them - remember, you stay holding my hand, okay?" Danny reminded him as he paid for their tickets, Steve nodding vigorously as he looked around.

True to his word, Steve didn't let go of Danny's hands as he practically dragged him around the zoo. Danny had to rein him in a few times though, when he'd spot something in the distance and make a beeline for it.

Danny took many photos - he wanted some for Steve's bedroom - and by far his favourite was from the petting zoo, Steve's face as he got to touch the various animals was priceless as far as Danny was concerned, and was worth the 10 hour flight to get there.

They'd made their way round most of the zoo's exhibits, but Danny saved the best for last. As soon as Steve saw the sign for the aquarium (he had trouble reading the long word, but the fishes on the sign were a dead giveaway) he practically screamed in Danny's ear.

" _Fishes, Danno!_ " He tugged on Danny's hand. "Fish!"

"Okay, first of all - _ow_." Danny rubbed his ear. "Second of all, yes, we'll see the fishes. But then we're gonna go, okay?"

Steve nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "Yes, Danno."

"Alright. Come on then, buddy." Danny led him into the aquarium. "You don't have to hold my hand, but stay where I can see you please!"

Danny watched fondly as he followed him through the dimly lit halls. He saw how happy Steve was, practically bouncing from one tank to another to get a closer look at the different marine life.

As he moved to look at another tank Steve accidentally bumped into a woman. Danny shook his head at Steve as he walked over to where she was. "I'm sorry about him, he didn't mean to barge into you. Are you okay?"

The woman waved him off. "It's okay, I totally understand." She shot a gaze at Steve, who had his face and hands pressed against the glass as he watched the sea turtles swim around in their tank, and smiled.

Danny frowned at her. "You… huh?"

She looked back at Danny. "I look after people with special needs, too."

 _Oh._ "Oh, right…" Danny trailed off, not know what to say in response.

"Danno, come look!" Steve called from where he stood by the tank.

"Sorry, but I'd better…" He thumbed in Steve's direction. "Thanks, and again, sorry for the whole bumping-into-you thing."

The woman nodded and watched as Danny joined Steve at the tank. She couldn't hear what either man was saying, but chuckled as she saw Steve pull Danny in the direction of the gift shop.

* * *

After they left the zoo Danny hailed a cab to take them home as Steve was beginning to flag, the days walking being more than he was used to, but once they were back Steve got a brief second wind as he told Clara and Eddie about their trip. He managed to eat dinner with Danny only stepping in to help towards the end, explaining to his confused parents that he only helps when Steve's either sick or tired.

Afterwards, Danny helped him up the stairs for a quick bath before getting him into the double bed in Danny's old room that they'd be sharing for their stay. Danny sat on the edge of the bed to read to him but only got a few pages into the book before Steve was asleep, his face smashed into the pillow and clutching his new stuffed toy that Danny had bought him from the gift shop. A soft smile graced Danny's face as he bent to kiss Steve's forehead before heading downstairs.

"Everything alright, son?" Eddie asked as Danny entered the lounge. He accepted the offered bottle of beer before dropping onto the couch next to his parents chairs.

"Yeah, after today I was surprised that he lasted as long as he did. Was out in five seconds." Danny chuckled. "Figured it would be a challenge though."

"How come?" Clara asked.

"Steve hates change. His routine, new people, that kind of thing. I guess I thought getting him to sleep somewhere that wasn't his home would be hard."

"But he's in _your old room_ , Danny." She looked pointedly at her son, before sipping at her glass of wine. "He must think it's familiar enough."

Danny nodded. "Yeah… yeah, that makes sense." He took a swig of his beer.

"Danny?" Eddie asked.

"Hmm?"

"What's wrong with his eyes? I didn't want to ask earlier in case Steve overheard, but his pupils look-"

"Big? Yeah, I know." Danny took another swig of beer. "They're a side effect of his brain injury. He can see fine as far as I know, he's never complained about it."

Eddie nodded in understanding. When his wife came out to visit Hawaii previously he hadn't been able to join her due to ill health, so hadn't seen this 'new' Steve until now. "Steve seems… happy."

Danny let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

His father frowned. "What?"

"Nothing! I was just…" Danny sighed. "It means a lot to hear that."

"Do you not think you've done enough?" Clara said. "Because let me tell you, I do. I've heard from Grace what you do for Steve some days; you help him get dressed, you feed him, you read to him to help him sleep and you help him with his physio activities. Not to mention the day to day stuff."

Danny bit his bottom lip. "I know."

"Daniel." At his full name Danny looked up to meet his mother's gaze, feelings his father's eyes on him too. "When you rang and told us what had happened to Steve, of course we were worried for him - but for you, too. You're still going to that carers group, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma."

"Good." Clara reached across and took her son's free hand. "I was worried you wouldn't be able to cope, that this would be too much for you to handle. But you seem happy too."

Danny hummed in agreement. "I am. Don't get me wrong, there are bad days. Steve having a bad pain day, for example, and I don't think I'll ever forget when he got lost in the supermarket one time. Came back to me, face all blotchy and crying that he couldn't find me - I told him, 'You shouldn't have wandered off'." Danny shook his head at the memory. Then he smiled. "But then there's days like today, where he's so happy and loving - he's like that all the time, but you know what I mean."

Danny took a breath, not liking the sudden lump in his throat. "Sometimes… I forget that he's disabled. When we're just sitting watching TV or he's helping me do some chores, he looks so… normal. But then he says something to me, or I see the scar on his head or the toys that seem to be permanently scattered in the lounge no matter _how many times_ I ask him to put them away…" He squeezed Clara's hand. "I remember, and then I feel guilty for wishing that they weren't there."

"What do you mean?" Eddie asked.

"Because I miss Steve - how he used to be, and what we had. But I love him now just as much as I did before, and try and make the best of what we have now."

"It's clear that he loves you too, Danny. Every man and his dog can see that you're his world." Clara told him, causing Danny to blush as he nodded and sipped at his beer.

"We're so proud of you, Danny, for all that you do for Steve." Eddie said, Clara nodding in agreement.

"I only want him to be happy and healthy. Some of the other carers in that group, they look after people who are far worse off than Steve. Some can't even communicate or move on their own. I don't even..." Danny shook his head and subtly brushed a stray tear away in the disguise of itching his face, not that he thought his parents would buy that. "If Steve was like that, I - I dunno what I'd do."

"You'd do exactly what you're doing now, son." The older Williams said sternly. "You'd look after Steve as best as you could."

* * *

Danny sighed as he stopped outside his bedroom door, one hand on the handle and his forehead resting on the wood. He was exhausted.

After what his father said earlier, the first tear escape and then it was as if the dam had burst. His mother always said that you feel better after a good, long cry, and she was right. Danny knew that his parents loved him and supported his decision to look after Steve, but hearing the things that they said meant the world to him.

He opened the door as quietly as he could and sneaked into his room, quickly closing the door behind him. Danny sighed as he looked at Steve, sprawled on his back with the covers kicked halfway off the bed.

Approaching the bed, Danny shucked his clothes until he was left in just his t-shirt and boxers. He spotted a familiar object on the floor and knelt to pick up Steve's toy. Danny smiled at it, remembering how its owner had pleaded until he had caved and bought it for him.

His smile turned into a frown, however, when Steve started muttering in his sleep, empty hands twitching around as if in search for something.

"Here you go, buddy." Danny whispered as he put the toy in Steve's hand. Steve's fingers curled around it as he brought it to his chest and rolled onto his side facing Danny. His eyes were barely open, still mostly asleep.

"Danno?" Steve muttered, free hand fumbling towards him.

"Sshh, Danno's here, babe. Go back to sleep." Danny said quietly, pulling up the covers around Steve before climbing in beside him.

He thought Steve had woken up properly when he curled around him and mumbled, but a quick glance down confirmed that he was dead to the world. Danny looked forlornly at the acres of space behind Steve, then down at the sparse gap between himself and the edge of the bed.

 _Well,_ Danny thought as he shifted, trying to subtly shift Steve across the bed but failing as the other man a dead weight. _It could be worse; We could be in my old twin bed._

Suddenly Steve made a sound like a snore crossed with a yawn and rolled over to face the wall. Danny breathed a sigh of relief as he shimmied over, taking immediate advantage of the extra space. He shut his eyes and willed his brain to not plague him tonight, but this was Danny Williams after all.

He was a born worrier, always thinking of the worst case scenario first. Especially when it came to Steve. Danny opened his eyes and raised himself up on an elbow to gaze down at the slumbering man.

 _You don't worry, do you, babe?_ Danny smiled down at Steve who made a soft moan in his sleep as he hugged his toy close, his right thumb stuffed in his mouth. _Nah, you don't have a care in the world. Maybe I should take a leaf out of your book…_

Danny settled back down and wrapped the covers around him and Steve; he'd forgotten how cold New Jersey was compared to Hawaii. Maybe this week's holiday is just what he needed…


	8. I e Ku Nei Ma Oukou (I'll Stand by You)

Steve moaned as he turned onto his side, trying to find a position that was comfortable. He curled into a ball and clutched at his throbbing stomach, praying that the pain would go away so that he could go back to sleep.

He wasn't sure how long he laid there for, but the pain hadn't gone away. In fact it was getting worse.

"Danno…" Steve groaned into his pillow. He snagged his stuffed cat from behind him and buried his face in it. It muffled his cries as the pain intensed even more and he rolled onto his elbows and knees, head bowed. His knuckles turned white as he gripped his pillow and screamed as a particularly bad wave of pain washed over him, causing him to lose his balance and fall against the wall. Steve slid back down onto the mattress and curled around his stomach, knocking his head against the wall with each shot of pain.

Steve screamed so loud and for so long that he didn't hear Danny thunder down the stairs, barging into his room and instantly flicking the lights on.

He blinked at the sudden brightness but all of his focus was on the man in front of him writhing around.

"Steve, what's wrong?!" Danny asked as he quickly approached Steve's bed and climbed up behind him. Danny tried to get him onto his back but Steve point blank refused to move, choosing to stay curled on his side. "Hey, come on, Danno's here now. What's-"

Steve bit down on his pillow and cried, drowning out Danny's question. Danny then realised that he was clutching his belly and that the veins in his neck were pulsing as they jutted out.

"Is your stomach hurting?" He asked. Steve's reply was another loud groan and fat tears were rolling down his face. Danny hastily ran into the lounge and grabbed the phone, going back to Steve's side and babbling his address, begging the operator to please send an ambulance ASAP.

Steve's face contorted with pain, and he blindly reached behind him and grabbed Danny's hand that was still on his shoulder. Danny's eyes widened and he winced at the vice like grip Steve had on him. He'd stopped moving around and was now shaking with each sob, his pyjamas stuck to his sweaty body.

"Help's coming, Steve. Hang on, buddy." Danny whispered as he rubbed his back. The sound of banging at the front door drew Danny's attention away from Steve. "I'm just gonna go let them in, babe. I'm coming back, don't worry." He said as he prized Steve's fingers off of him before making a dash for the front door and flinging it open.

"Oh thank God," Danny muttered as he ushered the paramedics inside and down the hall. "He's down the hall, won't let go of his stomach."

"Don't worry, Detective, we'll see what we can do." The younger of the two men said as he entered Steve's bedroom, Danny instantly returning to his side.

"Steve? The paramedics are here to help you now, babe." Danny whispered, watching out of the corner of his eye as a pulse ox was clipped onto Steve's finger. His eyebrows shot up at the number displayed on their machine.

"103…" The young technician frowned as he made a note of it. "Definitely tachycardic."

"Steve? Can you roll onto your back for us please? I need to have a feel of your stomach?" The older paramedic said as he put on a pair of latex gloves. Steve let out another moan and tried to curl more in on himself.

"Can you not do it from where he is now?" Danny asked.

"'Fraid not, if it's what I think it is. But I can't be sure until I have a feel."

Danny sighed as he looked down at Steve. With the help of the younger of the pair Danny managed to get Steve onto his back, his resolve crumbling at the man's cries at the forced change of position. He ended up holding Steve's hands away from him with one of his, Danny's free one brushing his hair back from his forehead.

"I'm just gonna try something…" The guy whose nametag read 'Frank' said to Danny, pressing down on Steve's abdomen near his hip. Danny watched in amazement as Steve visibly relaxed slightly, but he quickly turned his head to cry into Danny's thigh as Frank moved his hands away, his legs kicking out in protest.

"Has he ever had his appendix out, Detective?"

Danny shook his head. "It's Danny, please. And no, I don't think so… wait, you don't think-?"

Frank nodded. "Yeah, he's showing definite signs of appendicitis I'm afraid. We need to get him to the hospital right away so that he can have it removed." He explained. "I'm gonna give him something for the pain. You, er… you might want to hold him down while I put the needle in."

Danny pursed his lips and nodded. It took all three men to hold Steve down enough so that Frank could slip the cannula into his arm, Danny whispering soothing words into his ear as Steve protested all the way.

"Thank you." Danny said breathlessly as the medication quickly took effect and Steve stopped writhing around. He held Steve close as the man curled around Danny's leg while the paramedics briefly left to get the gurney, but Steve clung to anything and everything around him in an attempt to stay where he was when they made an attempt to move him onto the trolley.

"We've got to go, buddy. No arguments." Danny said as he shoved some of Steve's things into his rucksack.

"Danno stay!" Steve cried. Danny cringed at the sound of his voice, croaky from all the shouting.

"I'm coming with you, don't worry." Danny said as he moved back towards the bed. Steve stared up at him with wide eyes as Danny ran a hand through his hair. "Do you understand?"

Steve grimaced as a fresh wave of pain hit, causing him to let go of the wooden slats of the headboard. Danny used that to his advantage and together they all managed to get Steve onto the thin stretcher and strapped in. He snagged Steve's softest blanket and wrapped it around his trembling form before pressing his lips to Steve's clammy forehead as they made their way out towards the ambulance.

* * *

As soon as they arrived at the hospital the paramedics handed Steve over to a team of waiting doctors, who quickly confirmed their suspicions of appendicitis. Danny refused to move from his side as they quickly ran some blood tests, then it was just a matter of waiting until an operating theatre was free.

More pain relief had dulled the pain down and left Steve moaning quietly in his hospital bed. Danny tried his best to keep him occupied by reading one of his books while they waited, but Steve couldn't seem to concentrate on what Danny was saying.

Noticing that Steve wasn't paying attention, Danny put the book back in his bag with a sigh. "Hey babe," He said, one hand covering Steve's as he fidgeted with his blanket. "Do you need more medicine?"

Steve screwed his face up and shook his head. "Tired," He whispered. "Wanna go home, Danno!"

"I know, baby." Danny straightened out the collar of his hospital gown before bending down to rest his head on his folded arms on the edge of the bed, his face inches from Steve's. "But we need to stay here while the doctors make you better."

Steve shook his head again, spreading a few stray tears on his pillow. Danny pulled him into an awkward one-armed embrace and winced as Steve accidentally pinched his skin when he latched onto him.

"Hurts, Danno." Steve groaned into Danny's neck. Danny nodded in understanding, and was about to speak when he saw someone approaching them out of the corner of his eye. He sat up as he realised it was one of the doctors from earlier.

"Steve McGarrett?" The young man in scrubs said. "We're ready for him now."

"Can I come down with him?" Danny asked as he squeezed Steve's hand.

The doctor nodded. "You can walk down with us, but you can't come into theatre."

Danny agreed, and kept his grip on Steve's hand as his bed was pushed down the corridor towards the hospital's theatres. Steve was still visibly grimacing in pain but Danny could see him looking at everything around him, intrigued and confused about where they were. They arrived at a set of large double doors and the doctor motioned at Danny, who opened them for him and helped (with some difficulty, those doors were very heavy and determined to close on him) to get Steve through and into the anaesthetic room.

Danny realised this was as far as he could go, and bent down to softly kiss Steve's sweaty face. "Gotta go, baby. I'll be with you when you wake up, okay? Danno loves you so much."

Steve's bottom lip wobbled when the surgeon handed Danny Steve's blanket that he'd brought from home, citing that he couldn't have that during the operation due to infection control. Danny nodded and clutched it tightly to his chest with one hand, grimacing as Steve latched onto his free hand and cried even harder at the loss of his blanket.

"Steve? You're gonna have some medicine to make you go to sleep now, okay? And when you wake up I'll be there again." Danny crouched and whispered into Steve's ear.

Steve looked up at him and nodded, so distracted by Danny that he didn't realise that the anaesthetist was injecting the sedative into his IV line. Danny smiled down at him and rubbed gentle circles on Steve's hand with his thumb and as his eyes closed, his hand went limp in his grip.

Danny backed out of the small room, watching with watery eyes as Steve was whisked into the bustling operating room next door.

* * *

After Steve was taken into the O.R. a kind nurse ushered Danny to the waiting room, after she noticed him aimlessly walking around the corridors. He sat in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs and hugged Steve's blanket to himself; it smelt strongly of its owner and made Danny's heart ache. He knew that Steve was simply down the corridor, but Danny couldn't go there and the thought didn't sit well with him. But he willed himself to calm down - these doctors were experts after all. Danny glanced down at his watch and saw that it was 05:45AM, which meant that he'd been awake for almost 3 hours now. And that Steve should be out soon.

As if on cue one of the doctors came into the waiting room and informed him that Steve was in recovery now.

"But he's alright, isn't he? You got his appendi-whatsit out?" Danny asked as he followed the man down the hall and into the recovery bay.

"Steve's doing just fine, Danny. We'll monitor him here for a little bit then he'll go to a ward. Providing there's no complications he may well be free to go later tonight or tomorrow."

Danny slumped into the chair next to Steve's bed and sighed in relief. "Thank you." He mumbled after the doctor before turning to look at Steve semi reclined in the bed.

Laying his blanket over his hospital covers and tucking it under his chin, Danny kept one hand on the bed rail and reached up with the other to brush Steve's hair back from his forehead.

"Hey, babe. You gonna wake up soon?" Danny whispered as his fingers lingered on Steve's face, being mindful of the thin pipes on his cheeks pumping oxygen to his nose. "I bet you're hungry. But I can't do those pancakes I promised you, buddy."

Danny sat with him in silence for a few minutes, staring at the bags of liquid hanging on a drip stand that were connected to Steve's IV. A nurse came to take his vitals and explained that one was an antibiotic ("just a precaution, standard after any operation") and the other was fluid to keep him hydrated.

After she left, Danny resumed stroking Steve's head, talking about anything that came to mind so he didn't have to hear the beeping of machines around him.

All of a sudden Danny felt something brush against his hand that was still on the side of the bed. He looked down and saw Steve slowly latch onto his hand, long fingers wrapping around his smaller ones.

"Hey, sleepy head." Danny grinned in spite of himself as Steve moaned, and blearily opened his eyes a fraction.

"D'no?" Steve mumbled. Danny squeezed his hand and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Yeah, Danno's here baby." Steve moaned again. Danny could see his face begin to screw up and quickly took something out of his bag. "Hey, look who I've got with me!"

Steve's eyes opened more and he reached out towards Danny with his free hand. Danny smiled as he handed Steve his stuffed cat and watched fondly as he hugged it close to his chest and buried his face in it.

"You feeling better, babe?" Danny asked. Steve lifted his face up and nodded, before he nervously glanced around him.

"Not… home?" He croaked, his voice hoarse from having a tube down his throat.

Danny shook his head. "No, we're not going home yet. Gonna stay here for a bit to make sure that you're okay." Steve seemed to accept that, or at least didn't protest. "You want some drink?"

He nodded. Danny grabbed a cup of water from a nearby table and held the straw to his lips, telling Steve to slow down when he tried to take large gulps.

"Thank you." Steve whispered after Danny set the now-empty cup down. "Danno?"

"Yeah, babe?"

Steve rubbed his eyes with his free hand before reaching out to gently tug on Danny's wrist. "Want hug…"

Danny smiled sadly as he linked their fingers together and squeezed. "I know you do, buddy. But we can't right now, not while you're having medicine," Danny gestured to the IV line in Steve's hand that was connected to the bags hanging above him, Steve tracking his movements with his eyes. "And not before the doctors have checked your belly and said everything is okay."

Steve looked down at his abdomen, where Danny knew that there were two small dressing pads under his gown covering the keyhole incisions.

"Oh." Steve mumbled, his face crestfallen. He then blinked several times, and Danny saw that his eyes looked suspiciously shiny.

"Hey hey! I think we've had enough crying for one day." Danny reached up to cup Steve's face with one hand. "Besides, I'm not going anywhere."

"Danno stays with Steve?" Steve turned his face into Danny's touch.

Danny nodded. "Danno stays with Steve." He repeated.

Steve then scrunched his face up as a loud yawn escaped from him, his right arm instinctively clenching his toy harder to his chest. Danny chuckled as he brought the bedcovers up over Steve's arms, not surprised at all when he snagged the edge of his blanket with the tips of his fingers.

Danny made sure that his IV lines hadn't gotten too tangled and wouldn't get pulled out, before pressing a soft kiss to Steve's forehead. "Go back to sleep, babe." He whispered as Steve stubbornly fought to keep his eyes open, as if he didn't trust Danny to stay. "It's gonna be okay."

After Steve woke up from his brief nap, the doctors were satisfied that Steve had recovered from the anaesthetic he was moved into a private room on a ward, and as soon as his antibiotics and fluids were disconnected Steve reached out and tugged on Danny's hand.

"I know, I know - hugs." Danny rolled his eyes as he climbed onto the bed, opening his arms as Steve crawled into his side. "You big goof." He whispered.

* * *

It made a nice change for Danny, to have Steve in the hospital for something other than his disability. He was allowed home later the same day - the doctors decided that Steve would be fine at home after the surgery once they saw Danny help him walk from his bed to the bathroom. Danny wasn't surprised at all by Steve's determination to complete the simple task; after all, he'd overcome so many obstacles before now.

On the way home Danny stopped by Rachel's so that he could collect Grace from her weekend at her mother's, and he watched in fond amusement as Grace ran past him and to the passenger side of his car to greet Steve.

"Are you okay now, Uncle Steve?" She asked when they got home. Steve nodded and hugged his blanket to his chest.

"Yeah, all better now Gracie!"

"Good." Grace said, before giving both men a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Alright, I'm off to bed. 'Night, guys!"

Danny smiled after his daughter as she went up the stairs. He turned to look at Steve and bit back a laugh as the man sidled up to him and slumped against his side.

"You wanna go to bed, champ?" He whispered. Steve nodded against his shoulder, and together they made their way to Steve's bedroom.

"Danno read to me?" He asked as Danny helped him to change into his pyjamas and settle under the covers. Danny nodded, and Steve burrowed into his side and listened as Danny read from one of his books.

Once he finished, Danny put the book aside and glanced down. Steve was still awake but only just, thumb in his mouth and his other hand holding his stuffed cat. Danny gently squeezed him close.

"I know today was bad, but you were so brave today, Steve," He whispered. "And I'm so proud of you."

"Steve loves Danno." Steve said around his thumb. "Safe now."

"And Danno loves you too, babe." Danny pressed a kiss into his hair before slipping out of his grip. He placed extra pillows around Steve's abdomen to prevent him from rolling onto his sides and his incisions in his sleep, like the doctors suggested. "Are you comfy? Do you need more medicine?"

Steve shook his head into his pillow. "'M okay, Danno." He whispered.

"Okay." Danny nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed. He brushed his hair back from his forehead and watched fondly as Steve's eyelids closed and he fell asleep, worn out after a very long day.

Danny pulled the covers up and around Steve's shoulders before getting to his feet. He made sure that Steve's night light was on before flicking the main light off. Danny paused in the doorway and his heart swelled in his chest as he glanced back at Steve. His thumb was still in his mouth and his legs were slightly twitching under the covers, a combination of his toys clutched in the crook of his other arm.

 _Hope you're having good dreams, buddy._ Danny thought, as he pulled Steve's door shut behind him, leaving it ajar just in case.


	9. Just a Dream

Steve awoke with a start, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He fumbled around until he could pull his stuffed cat from where it had gotten wedged under his pillow and hug it tight, the white fur tickling his chin. "No," Steve rubbed his face in his toys fur. "No Danno gone." he whispered.

 _Danno's safe,_ a familiar voice in his head rumbled - Big Steve, who he used to be Before. _It was just a nightmare, go back to sleep._

"Don't like it." Steve sat up and clutched at the bed covers that were pooled around his waist with one hand, as he rubbed at his tired eyes with the other. The nightlight was on and emitting a calming blue light from its place on the other side of the room. But as Steve looked around the normally comforting surroundings of his bedroom, he still couldn't stop thinking of the events in his dream. His Danno was hurt, shot in front of him, but now Steve was alone in his room.

Was Danno okay? Steve didn't know, and that was the thing that he found most frustrating as he looked around his bedroom again with a huff. He _had_ to know that Danno was okay, that he was still here and not wherever his nightmare sent him.

 _Need to find Danno,_ Steve thought to himself as he shuffled to the edge of the bed and levered himself to his feet. The nightlight enabled him to step around the few toys that he'd left on the floor as he made his way across his room, making sure to be quiet as he opened his bedroom door. The hallway to the living room was partly illuminated by the nightlight behind him, but Steve had to rely on memory and fumbling around in the dark to get to the stairs.

Danny wasn't keen on Steve using the stairs on his own, but as Steve carefully and slowly climbed them he decided that his need to see Danno was worth any punishment. The lack of any noise as he made his way down the first floor hallway and past Grace's room didn't do his fears any good, and Steve stopped at Danny's closed bedroom door as he pondered what to do now.

 _Still can't hear anything… what if Danno gone?_ Steve sniffed at the thought, and was about to start crying when Big Steve piped up again.

 _Maybe he's just asleep, huh? He's always been a quiet sleeper._ He said in a calm voice.

A soft smile crept across Steve's face as he remembered. _Yeah… when Danno stay with me, he quiet. But I 'member… I not?_

 _Nah, I used to snore like a freight train,_ Big Steve chuckled. _Pretty sure Danno recorded it one time because I didn't believe him._

Steve bit his lip as he opened the door before padding across the floorboards, the open window letting a gentle breeze and moonlight in which, much to Steve's delight, highlighted Danny under the covers.

"Danno!" Steve couldn't contain his outburst and his relieved smile didn't falter even when Danny startled awake at the sudden noise, or at the confused but also annoyed look that took over his face.

Danny had instinctively reached towards the bedside cabinet for his gun, but sagged back into the mattress when he realised that it wasn't an intruder - at least, not in the criminal sense. "Steve?! What the-" Danny ran a hand down his face, the urge to just ask him " _what the fuck are you doing?"_ only just under control. "What are you doing up here? You know how I feel about you on the stairs."

"Had to see you. See you not hurt." Steve said, both hands twisted in his pyjama shirt.

Danny shook his head as he sat up against the headboard and flicked the bedside lamp on. "Hurt? Babe, what are you talking about?"

Steve huffed. "Had bad dream, Danno. You hurt, so I had to check you not hurt here. And you not!" He moved as if to join Danny in the bed, but paused at the look on his face.

"Thank you for checking I'm alright, babe," Danny said with a tired smile as he threw the covers off of himself. "But it's still the middle of the night. Come on, I'll take you back to bed."

"But I not want to..."

"Of course you don't…" Danny muttered under his breath as he ran a hand through his hair. "Well I've gotta work tomorrow, babe, so I need to sleep. Like, now. And you've got your school in the morning."

Steve let out a big sigh as he balled his fists and looked down at his feet, and Danny prayed that the man was not about to throw a fit at 2 o'clock in the morning as he saw him take a few deep breaths. "Steve sleep here, please Danno?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"I…" Danny looked at the bedside alarm clock, and the bright red numbers telling him the ungodly hour helped him make his decision. "Alright, alright, c'mere." He shuffled over so that Steve could happily clamber onto the bed and instantly right into his personal space. "Hey Steve, I gotta breath too y'know!"

Steve paid him no mind as he snuggled into his side, and ignored Danny's groans and annoyed huffs as he leant over him to switch the bedside light off. "Straight to sleep, buddy, okay?" Danny said as he pulled the covers over them both and settled back down, sighing again when Steve pressed himself against his back and wrapped his octopus-like arms and legs around him.

"Okay, Danno. Love you." Steve mumbled, and Danny barely repressed the shiver that ran through him at the feel of the man's hot breath on the back of his neck. He screwed his eyes shut and thought unsexy thoughts to remind his dick that _nope, it's still not like that anymore,_ and resigned himself to probably an uneasy night's sleep as he linked the fingers of one hand with Steve's that was slung over his chest.

"Danno loves you too, champ." Danny quietly replied as he brought Steve's hand up and brushed his lips over the knuckles before tucking it under his chin. The corners of his mouth curled upwards when he felt Steve practically vibrate as he made a happy and contented noise.

"I keep you safe." Steve whispered into Danny's hair, who smiled as he closed his eyes.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, babe."


End file.
